Ipomoea splendor-sylvae House

Wood, John R. I., Munoz-Rodriguez, Pablo, Williams, Bethany R. M. & Scotland, Robert W., 2020, A foundation monograph of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the New World, PhytoKeys 143, pp. 1-823 : 1

218. Ipomoea splendor-sylvae House , Muhlenbergia 3: 43. 1907. (House 1907b: 43)

Ipomoea umbraticola House , Ann. New York Acad. Sci. 18 (6): 259. 1908. (House 1908b: 259). Type. COSTA RICA. Nicoya, A. Tonduz 13677 (holotype NY00547073, isotypes BM. K, US).

Type.

HONDURAS. Puerto Sierra, P. Wilson 286 (holotype NY00380475).

Description.

Twining herb to 3 m, probably a short-lived perennial; stems glabrous, often winged. Leaves petiolate, 2-13 × 2.5-10.5 cm, ovate, occasionally undulate to shallowly 3-lobed, cordate with rounded auricles, shortly acuminate, usually glabrous; petioles 1.5-4.5 cm. Inflorescence of axillary pedunculate cymes; peduncles 3.5-15 cm, usually straight; bracteoles c. 1 mm, deltoid, scarious, caducous; secondary peduncles 1-2.2 cm; tertiary peduncles c. 0.5 mm; pedicels 5-11 mm; sepals unequal, scarious, glabrous, outer 4-6 mm, orbicular, mucronulate, inner 7-10 mm, obovate, rounded usually minutely mucronate; corolla 4.5-6 cm long, funnel-shaped, pink, the tube dark purple inside, limb 4-4.5 cm diam.; filaments thinly covered in short glandular hairs. Capsules 7-9 × 5 mm, ovate, glabrous; seeds 4-5 × 2.5 mm, glabrous apart from relatively woolly deciduous marginal hairs 3-4 mm long.

Illustration.

Figures 7F , 109 .

Distribution.

Scattered in forest areas of Central America from southern Mexico to Costa Rica.

COSTA RICA. Guanacaste, Samara-Playa Carillo, P. Wilkin 465 (BM); ibid., Samara-Nicoya, P. Wilkin 472 (BM); ibid., Santa Cruz -Nicoya, P. Wilkin 488 (BM); Puntarenas, Isla Chira, Khan et al. 862 (BM); Guanacaste, Bagaces, U. Chavarría 1369 (K, MO); B. Hammel et al. 18688 (CR, MO).

NICARAGUA. Masaya, P.N. Volcán Masaya, W.D. Stevens 5233 (B, MO); Madriz, Somoto, W.D. Stevens & O.M. Montiel 26745 (BM, MO); Santa Rosa, Canyon of Río Sinecapa, L.O. Williams & A. Molina 42451 (BM); Chinandega, Volcán San Cristóbal. P.P. Moreno 25003 (BM).

EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapán, San Francisco Menéndez, J.M. Rosales (BM, MO); Libertad, Plan de la Laguna, R. Villacorta 499 (K); ibid., Mun. Antiguo Cuscatlan, P. Lemus s.n. [7/12/1988] (K).

HONDURAS. Colón, J. Saunders 1044 (FTG).

BELIZE. Chiquibul National Forest, L. Urban 90 (E); El Cayo, P. H. Gentle 2422 (K).

GUATEMALA. F. de la Puente 3755 (FTG); Petén, camino Saepuy, R. Tun Ortíz 664 (BM, F, MO).

MEXICO. Campeche: K.J. Virgo 189 (K); P. Alvaro 653 (MBM, MEXU, MO); Calakmul, E. Martínez et al. 31649 (BM, MEXU, MO). Chiapas: D.E. Breedlove 40609 (MO); Pijijiapan-Arriaga, A. Bourg 159 (IEB). Oaxaca: Pochutla, A. Sánchez Martínez et al. 1187 (IEB). Quintana Roo: C. & H. Cabrera 4290 (MEXU). Yucatán: G.F. Gaumer 23163 (MO); E.F. & H. Cabrera 10708 (MO).

Note.

Ipomoea splendor-sylvae is one of the most distinct species in the Batatas Clade because of its large pink flowers with a corolla usually around 5-6 cm long. The subspherical, white, chaffy calyx with broadly obovate to suborbicular glabrous sepals is also distinct.

Figures

Figure 7. Sepals of Ipomoea species. A I. meyeri B I. ternifolia C I. cryptica D I. heterodoxa E I. sericosepala F I. splendor-sylvae G I. squamisepala H I. trifida. Photographs of A (Anderson 1895) B (Pringle 4439) C (Soto et al. 1331) E (Wood & Soto 27550) F (Wilkin 472) and H (Smith 1570) by John Baker; D (Wallnoefer 9506) by John Wood; G (Mendoza 4902) by Moises Mendoza.

Figure 109. Ipomoea splendor-sylvae. A habit B winged stem C outer sepal D inner sepal E corolla opened out to show stamens F fruiting inflorescence G seed. Drawn by Rosemary Wise A-D from Wilkin 488; E, F from Stevens & Montiel 26745; G from Khan et al. 862.